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OJ 9/6, [7] Handwritten letter with inclosure from Eugen d'Albert to Schenker, dated
September 2, 1894
Eugen d'Albert incloses his autobiographical contribution to Schenker's
forthcoming feature article in Die Zukunft. He apologizes for the non-arrival of the
MS piano reduction of his new opera, Ghismonda, which he describes as a
"psychological character sketch," and thanks Schenker for his
interest.
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OJ 5/16, [2] Handwritten draft letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated December 25,
1908
Schenker justifies his selection and treatment of instruments in the
Instrumentations-Tabelle, with acid comments about the English, and dismissal of French
contributions.
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OJ 6/5, [1] Handwritten double letter from Heinrich Schenker and Jenny Kornfeld to Moriz Violin,
dated August 18, 1911
Heinrich and Jenny Kornfeld are in the Sulden Valley, Tyrol. Heinrich writes
about his planned refutation of the theories of Hugo Riemann and the need to establish his own
theories in Germany; — and about separate accommodation arrangements for Jenny. Jenny writes
more somberly about the coming autumn and its difficulties.
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OJ 5/27, [3] Handwritten letter (non-extant) from Schenker to Evenlina Pairamall, dated October
20, 1916
Schenker describes in detail how he works out Mrs. Pairamall's lesson schedule
according to her requests, and calculates her fee.
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OJ 15/16, [32] Handwritten letter from Weisse to Schenker, dated January 2, 1918
Weisse, in a fieldpost letter, writing in Sütterlinschrift, copies out a passage
from Goethe quoted in Chamberlain's "Grundlagen des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts," and informs
Schenker of his imminent change of address.
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WSLB 303 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated June 12, 1919
Schenker promises to send Hans Weisse to see Hertzka. In reacting unfavorably to
Hertzka's suggestions that the Foreword to Die letzten fünf Sonaten von Beethoven, Op. 111 be
discarded for its second edition, Schenker puts up a stout defense of his use of polemic in his
writings, contending that art, life, and politics are inextricably interconnected. He claims
that his pronouncements on politics now will prove correct in the long run. His sole concern is
with the truth; he is not interested in pandering to his readers.
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OJ 6/6, [9] Handwritten triple-letter from Jeanette Kornfeld and Heinrich Schenker to Valerie and
Moriz Violin, dated July 15, 1919
(1) Jeanette to Valerie: offers sympathy and reassurance about her illness;
describes the Tantalier Castle and its romantic associations; (2) Heinrich to Valerie:
recommends eating large quantities; (3) Heinrich to Moriz: supports food theory by reference to
his own proneness to nervous depression; suggests that Valerie recuperate in Zell am
See.
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OJ 10/1, [45] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated September 26, 1919
Dahms responds to Schenker's letter (non-extant). He reflects on Prussian
militarism. He declares that there is no such things as "military genius"; Germany was as guilty
as the Entente Powers for the war; soldiers were treated as slaves by their officers, with
Wilhelm II bearing the ultimate guilt. He rejects all political parties. England does not treat
its people as Germany does. He believes only in the German spirit, which he regards as the
spirit of the world. He cannot wait to leave Germany, and wants only to immerse himself in
Schenker's work.
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DLA 69.930/8 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated October 27, 1919
Schenker writes of the deteriorating intellectual conditions in Germany and
Austria with respect to other nations, and of the devastating political and psychological
consequences. Schenker praises Halm's Klavierübung for its sensitivity to voice leading, and
speaks of it as an antidote to the decline of musical literacy. He hopes to talk with Halm about
these matters when he moves to Germany.
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OJ 10/1, [69] Typed letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated March 11, 1922
Dahms's book, which has earned an award, is delayed at the bindery. He blames
this on the prevailing undisciplined conditions in Germany, criticizes the current government,
and predicts war.
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OJ 8/4, [12] Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Moriz Violin, undated [June 17, 1922]
Schenker explains why the "Miscellanea" is missing from Tonwille 2; he likens
Hertzka's heavy-handedness to Prince Metternich's police-state tactics.
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DLA 69.930/10 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated September 25, 1922
Acknowledges OJ 11/35, 20 and composition; expects to be able to comment on
Halm's Klavierübung in Tonwille 4; reports Leipzig University's decision not to appoint him;
speculates on the impact of Kontrapunkt 2 and Der freie Satz; public difficulty in accepting
Urgesetze. — Aristide Briand: The importance of being well-read on a topic before commenting in
public: Schoenberg and Reger; newspapers. — Maximilian Harden: although faithful to Schenker,
Harden had not mastered the topics on which he wrote. — National Govenment: Schenker's
publishing plans, including "The Future of Humanity": man's anthropomorphic thinking is a
delusion, he needs to adapt to nature, to return to a primitive state, to abandon "development"
and "progress" and return to primordial laws; inferior man wants to "govern" (bowel wants to
become brain); Schenker deplores "artifice" (French) as against nature (German). — Things
French: praises German superiority over French in its joy of work. — Higher Plane: the German
should not abase himself before the Frenchman.
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DLA 69.930/11 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated November 2, 1922
Schenker acknowledges receipt of two booklets on youth and the new republic,
returns them, comments on them critically: idealistic German democrats desire maximal
remuneration with minimal work; illustrates point by difficulties with maids in Schenker
household; German democrats naively overestimate social and intellectual status of non-German
commoners (French, British, American); Schenker decries cosmopolitanism and those Germans who
advocate individuality at the expense of society; Schenker praises the fascists as countering
communism and social leveling, compares Mussolini's Italy favorably with present-day
Germany.
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OJ 5/45, [3] Copy, in Jeanette Schenker's hand, of a letter from Schenker to Weisse, dated September
12, 1923
Schenker explains his behavior a few days before, in reply to Weisse’s letter of
September 7, and his implicit displeasure at his pupil's lengthy trip to Italy in the summer.
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OJ 10/1, [83] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated January 4, 1924
Money has arrived. Dahms hopes for better conditions in 1924.
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OJ 11/36, [17] Handwritten letter from Hammer to Schenker, dated March 1, 1925
Hammer describes his travels and work in the past eight months, and compares the
piano playing of Otto Vrieslander with that of Schenker.
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OJ 10/1, [100] Typewritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated April 13, 1927
His Almanach has been a success but produced no financial return in a hostile
environment. — They are leaving Berlin for the south; he has lost faith in German spirit,
intellect, and morality.
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OJ 10/13, [6] Handwritten letter from Dunn to Schenker, dated November 14, 1927
Dunn thanks Schenker for the copy of Meisterwerk 2 sent to him, and comments
on the clarity with which Bach’s C minor Fugue (WTC I) is revealed; his musical instincts
found confirmation in Schenker’s theories, and after the war he obtained all of Schenker’s
books; he proposes that they meet some time, perhaps by making a side-trip from to Austria
from Leipzig, where his wife grew up.
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OJ 11/54, [24] Typed letter from Hoboken to Schenker, dated August 27, 1928
Hoboken recounts his and his wife's travels through Germany, including encounters
with Thomas Mann and others. He expects to return to Vienna in mid-October.
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OJ 12/50, [4] Handwritten letter from Bernhard Martin to Schenker, dated October 31,
1929
Bernhard Martin sends Schenker graphings of a Mendelssohn Lied ohne Worte and
a J. S. Bach Kleines Präludium. -- He describes the duplicated and missing pages in his
misbound copy of Schenker's Harmonielehre. -- He suggests a correction to Schenker's use of
the term "portamento." -- Having read Otto Vrieslander's biography of C. P. E. Bach, he
proposes to perform a cantata by the latter and describes the concert program in which it
will feature.
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OJ 10/3, [124] Typewritten letter from Deutsch to Schenker, dated April 4, 1930
Deutsch thanks Schenker for confirming the relationship of a Beethoven sketch
to his song "Neue Liebe, neues Leben," which Gustav Nottebohm had
misunderstood.
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WSLB-Hds 191.566 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Deutsch, dated August 5, 1930
Replying to Deutsch’s letter of July 30, Schenker warmly recommends his
long-standing pupil Marianne Kahn as a teacher for Deutsch’s brother. -- He then
comments at length on a newspaper article by Richard Benz (of which Deutsch had sent
a clipping), using a medical metaphor to describe the current pathological state of
music.
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OJ 15/16, [95] Handwritten letter from Hans Weisse to Schenker, dated September 23, 1934
Weisse reports a visit from Victor Vaughn Lytle, to whom Schenker had recently
written, and the receipt of Oswald Jonas's recent book, on which he comments. The Weisses
have spent a lovely summer by the sea, in the midst of unspoiled nature, and he has
completed a set of five six-voice madrigals on Goethe texts and a string quartet. He reports
and laments his mother’s death.
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OJ 12/6, [43] Handwritten letter from Jonas to Jeanette Schenker, dated March 9, 1935
Jonas thanks Jeanette for the opportunity to look at work of Schenker's
[unspecified]; Jonas, Salzer, and Saturn Verlag wish to bring out a music journal in
Schenker's memory: Jonas requests access to unpublished materials; he inquires whether
Jeanette has reached an understanding with Saturn Verlag over aphorisms.
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LC ASC 27/45, [20] Handwritten letter from Moriz Violin to Schoenberg, dated April 8, 1940
Violin makes an outraged critique of the rejection letter he has received from
R. E. Stuart. — His daughter, Eva, is now safely in San Francisco.
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OJ 70/35, [7] Typewritten letter from Schoenberg to Moriz Violin, dated April 9, 1940
Schoenberg tempers Violin's reaction to R. E. Stuart's letter, offering a
sympathetic portrayal of the American character as courteous, unlike the Germans, and
describing the attitude and degree of preparation of American students. All German criteria
are inapplicable.
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LC ASC 27/45, [37] Handwritten letter from Moriz Violin to Schoenberg, undated [1950]
Violin thanks Schoenberg for his copy of Style & Idea, and comments on it
enthusiastically. He describes himself as a "displaced artist."